Improvement in latches



IlNiTED STATES PATENT EEicE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LATCH ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,75S, dated May 16, 1865.

To all whom t may concern Beit known that I, EDWARD A. TUTTLE, of the county of Kings, city of Brooklyn, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locks, which I denominate the Tongue-Latch 5 and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in obviating the difficulty of shutting doors having night-latches without the necessity of forcibly slammin g them by means of a narrow tongue projected upon the outer or diagonal surface of the latch and through the line of the back plate of the lock, by which the latch is made to strike the nosing at such an angle that no blow or slam of the door can ever be required to close the door, a slight pull or pressure of the hand being in every case sufiicient. The door may stand with the latch in contact with the nosing and still no difficulty be experienced in drawing the door closed.

My improvement embraces all kinds of locks having spring-latches, but is especially adapted to those known as night-latches which, being operated from the outside by a key, depend entirely upon the slanting pressure ofthe latch against the nosing to close the door. Those 'now in use are universally known to be liable to the objection above stated.

The internal arrangement of the night-latch forms no part of my invention, and is not therefore represented.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The same letters refer to similar parts.

A represents the night-latch or lock.

B is that part of the lock styled the latch, or slidingbolt, thrown into the nosing D by a spring.

` O represents the projecting tongue upon the diagonal face of the latch.

The line H shows the inside surface of the door, as also back or outside surface of the night-latch, as it is when screwed to the door.

G is the back-plate of the night-latch.

b represents the slot in the back-plate, into or through which projects the tongue C.,

F is the frame oi the door which receives the nosing D.

The tongue C is attached to or is cast with the latch B, so as to form what I denominate the tongue-latch.

The tongue-latch projects across the line H, the wood of the door being cut away to make room for it, and by such elongation across the line H presents an angle to the nosing of the door sufficiently acute relatively with the line of motion of the door that in coming in contact with the nosing no slam or blow is or can be requisite to close the door with ease.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v The beveled tongue C, or its equivalent, applied to a lock or latch substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. TITUs, CALEB PINK. 

